Comic Book Review: Inhumans Vs. X-Men #2

by Jideobi Odunze

The X-Men have made their move. I will say that while there is still a high level of skepticism about Inhumans Vs. X-Men as a whole, there was still a part of me that was impressed by some of the match-ups they created. Emma Frost used her eight months wisely figuring out how to take down the Inhumans and it was exciting to witness that plan put into motion. The things that needed to be said, the things that needed to be done, so far they have been off to a good start. That is hoping they don’t fall prey to where these crossovers do have the tendency to fall apart.

As expected things pick up with the army of X-Men and mutants making their way to New Attilan. If you’re in it for the spectacle of battle, then there was reason to be satisfied. It is exciting to see what does happen when the X-Men, all of them, take matters into their own hands. We love our different teams and what not, but there’s something more appealing when you see them all working together towards the same goal. Even if it is attacking New Attilan. The way the fight proceeds from here was smart. You want to make this tense, but you don’t want to make it appear too difficult to undermine the eight months Emma Frost put into setting this response in motion. Every move against key players mattered. I think the big person they removed from play was a statement well made.

Now action aside the one bit of substance we could take from the story is the way in which this conflict challenges those who struggle handling these kinds of situations where killing isn’t the answer. Clearly this will create problems down the road. Predictable sure, the very things that define the game of survival these two groups have been thrown into.

One had to wonder what measures she would take to defend New Attilan. Seeing the way Medusa took to arms in defense, that said a lot about what this fight means to her. Now her resolve in fighting back still does harm to the plot of this story. The Inhumans may not be aware yet about how long the mutants have left before the Terrigen Cloud wipes them out, but common sense still does make you question the importance of the cloud compared to the harm it can do to others. Feels like a no-brainer right? Anyways these are the kind of questions that can still ruin the story for some readers. If you’re in it for the blockbuster spectacle that Inhumans Vs. X-Men is, then there isn’t all too much to worry about. Especially knowing ahead of time that regardless of how this ends the mutants will still have a future on Earth.

Being that this issue was more action than anything else, the artwork stood out more than anything. It goes without saying that the art does matter in these kind of stories most because there is only so much expectation that you can have for the plot. When it comes to the Inhumans and X-Men in particular you can’t have your expectations too high given the direction they have taken up to this point. So this art team luckily made up for a lot that could have been lacking. With every flip of the page there was something cool to witness as the X-Men had an answer to pretty much everything the Inhumans could throw at them. As someone who has read a lot of big X-Men stories, this felt reminiscent of the kind of battle Cyclops could pull off. A fight that played out as if you were looking at a chess board having each move carefully plotted down to the ifs. For so much that was going on in Inhumans Vs. X-Men #2, Leinil Francis Yu did outstanding yet again getting so much detail out of this. The same can be said for David Curiel on colors as well. Really bringing out the elegance in so many powered people thrown into chaos.

Inhumans Vs. X-Men #2 was a fast read, but it was quick to the punch. Some may want a bit more out of it, though it seems that will come once things do wind down. If they do that is.

Comic editor for Geeked Out Nation. I'm a well rounded guy though comics are big for me. Doesn't matter the publisher for me as long as the series is entertaining. X-Men fan(#TeamCyke), Halo fan, LARPer, and fantasy geek. Follow me on Twitter @NewGenXMan. Email at siphen_x@yahoo.com